Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-16


going to work under 10 yeNs OF age, ~ poo,
v;dcd in the Heath bill. He was OF the poor
and with the poor, and he knew someinipe
of them. He said that there are QUIZ VI
such children that would b thus ahecteu.
Mr. Roberts of Brunswick sal that the
msjority of this committee is co"p"'
members who have made this question
study, not only during the time they nAse
been at the capitol but long before ana 'ro''
that fact their report IL emitted 10 e'ea'
weight and careful consid ration. He assert
ed that the bill of the maj ,rhy Is as radicai
measure as there is on the statute hooks OF
anv State or country in the world In
community composed of well-to-do people II
would be all right to prohibit the labor OF
children under Is wears; but we had NOT ye'
attained to that He knew of many poor
families dependent upon such labor.
MIR. Noble of Lewiston thought the matter
Of a ten-hour law had come TO stay with the
people of Maine, with the people or the ma
rion because it is a right measure In 1901
Carroll y. Wright IN mastery collection OF
facts and statistics from over 7oo persons
and corporations. showed that Massachusetts
could, with her ten nour law. manufacture
as much per man. per loom, per spindle. as
any other State in the Eastern Cluster work
ing IL aud u hours a day; and she pain
more wages too. He thought that lnasmuch
as this legislation is tentative and expert
mental. in view of the fact that We have no
pre- edent in law as to now far we can carry
a measure of that kind, and also the fact
that we are not entirely satisfied as TO wheth-
er or not it is constitutional to interfere be-
tween man and man, we had better take the
measure that commended itself to our mother
Commonwealth, Massachusetts. We had
batter go as far as practicable and leave TO
the future to advance upon the footsteps ana
upon the mark that we shall first set. tie
drew vivid picture of the young country
girl, blooming and healthy, leaving her
home to 90 to the factory in order 10 earn
money to lift the mortgage on her old parents
home; and the gradual but sure inroads OF
disease upon her once vigorous constitution,
caused by the insidious and unhealthful sur
roundings of the factory life.
| Mr.. Walton of Skowhegan believed ii was
a serious matter to make distinction between
men and women in the proposed legislation.
He wished to see either the men included IN
the provisions of the Looney bill or the
women left out. If he could not see that
done he was in favor of the minority report
That report sai3 thBt women should be placed
on level with men, should be as good as
men-no better. He thought them little
better appausel. He could not fnd any
suggestion made by anybody that induced
| him to believe that women should be placed
under guardianship. Ii was casting stigma,
not only upon the factory women. but upon
all women of the State. He believed all the
women in the factories were opposed TO this
placing of them under guardianship-cer-
tainly those employed in the factories of
Somerset county were The effect of this
legislation would be to close the doors OF
factories to women, because those factories
III pOt nj
hours labor, when they could hire men who
would work / and IL hours. He had not
known of single petition coming into this
legislature asking for a law excluding women
from the right of working over ten hours
day.
His brother Noble said that women needed
to be protected. His observation was the
other way [iaughter]. He thought if any
body needed protection it was the men
[laughter] He should vote for the minority
bill because it included men.
Mr. Looney was surprised at the remarks
of the gentleman from Clifton, who two years
ago supported the McGillicuddy bill, which
provided for just the same thing as this bill
of the maj ,rity-women and children. Now
he wants q bill TO include men. The gentle
man from Skowhegan had made one of his
unique arguments, which no man could
make better than he But it was the same
argument that he had made to this House
two years ago, and then four tfths of the
House passed the bill, almost the same in its
provisions As this, against his protest. He
said he would go as far as any man in the
strictOn of the hours of labor, but he had
given some study to this question and he be-
lieved the bill presented by the majority of
the committee was the only measure practi-
cable and it was on that ground that he sup
ported it so earnestly. He had letter from
one of the members of the knights of Labor
who appeared before the committee, saying
they did not support the Heath bill This
was in the face of the statement made here
that they did support it,
! Mr.. Pattangall of Pembroke said he did not
wear anybody's political collar, never would.
He was sorry to politics dragged into the
question. As to she platforms of political
parties, he wished to say that the committees
on resolutions in political conventions were
made up somewhat after the fashion of the
advice of Artemus Ward to Abraham Lin
coln-"Get Snowman for your Cabinet.
Abraham, they will cater to the public"
The committee were made up for the resolu-
tiOns and not the resolutions by the commit
tees. He hoped gentlemen would consider
this matter seriously and soberly. Some
provisions of the bill he did not like-the
provision for SO high penalty as $50 and
| tiU ~oikinS aye VI the ulnOT DelnK put at 10
years.
Mr.. Harrington of Norridgewock hoped
gentlemen would not make haste in this mat
ter and hurry it through this evening, but
would take time to sleep on it and consider it
well, 80 that the measure would be well
weighed and perfected by the best and cool.
est Judgment of the gentlemen of this House.
Mr.. Clark of Calais called special attention
to the injustice that would be done BY this
majority bill to the interests of the saw mills
of the State, representing a capital of over
$4,000, 000 which, added to the amount in
vested in timber lands, would far outw eigh
the whole investment in cotton and woollen
mills combined in this State. He referred to
the robust health and strength of the men
and boys employed in saw mills, citing as a
special example the Sixth Maine, than whom
no more gallant regiment trod on rebel soil,
showing that the work of more than ten
hours in these mills did not hurt the em-
ployes.
On motion of Mr.. Fogg of Portland,
Adjourned.